Who is Liverpool new-boy Konstantinos Tsimikas?

Jack Hallows does his best to provide the lowdown on Greek left-back Konstantinos Tsimikas who is Liverpool's first signing of the summer transfer window.

Just last week it looked like Liverpool were about to sign Jamal Lewis from Norwich City but with a £10m bid turned down, according to Melissa Reddy, it looks as if Edwards and co. have wasted no time in sourcing their alternative!

Reports had been tentatively linking 24-year old Konstantinos Tsimikas of Olympiacos with a move to the Reds' for as long as the Lewis reports had been circulating but interest was confirmed by Paul Joyce in a trademark tweet last week.

No sooner had the dust settled on that tweet, confirmation of not just a bid but a scheduled medical in a second tweet swiftly followed. Now, Liverpool Football Club have announced the Greek as their first summer signing for 2020.

So, who is Tsimikas and why have Klopp and Edwards opted to bring him to Merseyside as the chosen deputy to Andy Robertson this summer?

While admittedly, Jamal Lewis had the homegrown advantage, along with having played a full campaign in the Premier League already, Tsimikas is no stranger to the big stage.

The Greek defender has represented Olympiacos in both the Champions League and Europa League, making 9 appearances in the second tier of European competition over the last two season and 6 in its premier competition.

Interestingly, both of these competitions have given him exposure to what his competition will be like in England next season, playing against Spurs in this season's UCL before coming up against Arsenal and Wolves in the Europa.

In fact, in Olympiacos' shock elimination of Arsenal before the COVID enforced break, Tsimikas was the second highest-ranked player on the pitch behind only Nicolas Pépé who perhaps not coincidentally, attacked down his wing.

Tsimikas also impressed in Olympiacos' short-lived Champions League run, with a WhoScored rating of 7.91 against Bayern Munich and an 8.61 Man of the Match performance against Red Star Belgrade.

Stylistically, the Greek is also a seemingly better fit than Lewis.

While an adept ball carrier, Lewis underlying attacking stats weren't particularly interesting while his tally of one goal and no assists in an admittedly dreadful Norwich side wasn't awe-inspiring.

Tsimikas, on the other hand, has fared slightly better, contributing seven assists in 47 appearances in all competitions and averaging 1.25 key passes per 90 in Europe for his side.

In an interview with the Liverpool Echo, Greek journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos describes Tsimikas as "really fast" with "good technique on the ball and good crosses."

Chorianopoulos adds in closing that the defender "is a hard worker, he loves training and he respects but is not the media guy. He has only one thing on his mind: football."

Certainly sounds like a Klopp full-back.

If you're keen to learn more about him and get a look at what he might bring to Liverpool FC in the coming season, check out this highlights package.